Apple Working on a Fix for iOS 9.3 Web Links Crashing Issue

[Max(IT)]

They've been having a bad decade since Steve Jobs died in 2011.

Sure, according to some well known haters on this forum...
For the rest of the world Apple is at a level never reached under Jobs.

Btw since when 5 years are a decade ?
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My iPhone 6S has begun just randomly shutting down, regardless of clicking URL's. I've given the battery a week now to calibrate with 1-100 charge cycles, but it's still happening.

Have it serviced by Apple : the battery is probably fault.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Do you realize not everyone is like you ?

Did you really just ask that question? Wow.

 

[DoctorKrabs]

It's time to kill the "more complex software" excuse. If iOS 9 gets a pass for its bugs for being more complex than iOS 9, how can it even be possible that iOS 6 isn't more unreliable and buggy than iPhone OS 3? iOS 6 is more advanced than the older versions and it was still a refined and reliable OS compared to those older versions.

Or even just think about how much further ahead each major iOS version is from the first beta. First betas have always been bad and usually sorted 95% of the issues out for the general release. So a huge chunk of bugs from the first beta will get addressed in the 3 month beta period, but the last small bugs are too hard to address in over 6 months of general availability because the software's more complicated? Really?

And why isn't Windows 7 an unreliable mess compared to Windows XP if it's more complex? Maybe because testing and refining without adding features works. Nobody gave these kinds of excuses for Microsoft about Windows Vista. The mainstream called Vista out for its issues and crazy enough, they were fixable, and got fixed when people were fed up.
And crazy enough, Windows 8 came along. It was newer and more complex. Somehow, it wasn't a buggy mess.

iOS has been Vista since iOS 7. People demanded a Snow Leopard/Windows 7 type of update with iOS 9 where it would be less buggy and more refined than iOS 8. What ended up happening instead? LOL.

 

[Max(IT)]

It has been for years and years and years while doing better and better than pretty much anyone else out there.

You can't really win with them, mate.
Don't you see? In every thread someone post the same adagio about Apple. They mostly are well known users, but not only them.

The ship is sinking ...
Quality control is non existent...
Apple is doomed...

 

[C DM]

It's time to kill the "more complex software" excuse. If iOS 9 gets a pass for its bugs for being more complex than iOS 9, how can it even be possible that iOS 6 isn't more unreliable and buggy than iPhone OS 3? iOS 6 is more advanced than the older versions and it was still a refined and reliable OS compared to those older versions.

Or even just think about how much further ahead each major iOS version is from the first beta. First betas have always been bad and usually sorted 95% of the issues out for the general release. So a huge chunk of bugs from the first beta will get addressed in the 3 month beta period, but the last small bugs are too hard to address in over 6 months of general availability because the software's more complicated? Really?

And why isn't Windows 7 an unreliable mess compared to Windows XP if it's more complex? Maybe because testing and refining without adding features works. Nobody gave these kinds of excuses for Microsoft about Windows Vista. The mainstream called Vista out for its issues and crazy enough, they were fixable, and got fixed when people were fed up.
And crazy enough, Windows 8 came along. It was newer and more complex. Somehow, it wasn't a buggy mess.

iOS has been Vista since iOS 7. People demanded a Snow Leopard/Windows 7 type of update with iOS 9 where it would be less buggy and more refined than iOS 8. What ended up happening instead? LOL.

Windows has been having monthly patch releases to deal with its issues on a continues basis, and even then still had plenty out of schedule releases to address more important issues that couldn't wait or that were introduced by other releases/updates.

 

[sbailey4]

The 9.3 update has been utter crap. On my 5s the original 9.3 update worked fine, but now it is nagging me to perform ANOTHER 9.3 update for no apparent reason. And when I select "Remind me Later" it pops up a screen asking me to enter my lock code so that it can install the update automatically overnight.

On the other hand, my wife and daughter both tried to install the update on their 5c phones, and in each case got the "device is not connected to the internet" error when entering their iCloud passwords. And their phones most certainly were connected to the internet.

So in some cases it won't install, in other cases it keeps insisting on reinstalling, and for other people apparently it bricks their devices. What a lousy, lousy update.

This has been discussed at length, the 1st release had issues activating for older devices on SOME devices. They re-released 9.3 to resolve that (so you are being prompted to update again)

I don't need an explanation.

My letter would say:

Tim,

My iPhone 6s has been unusable for 4+ days now. This is unacceptable for a company which prides itself on being insanely great, and I've been unable to use it for my mission critical work.

You need to freeze the iOS feature set for a year. Only do bug/security fixes. Pride yourself on being a Five-Nines company. Move on from there when it's time.

Sincerely,

XXXXX

"Unusable"? Really? Dang I been using iOS 9.3 since beta 1 on a 6s and no issues much less "unusable". Maybe a restore will help with your unusable device. Worth a shot.

 

[Max(IT)]

Fine. But RELIABILITY is a feature. The most important one of all. Other new 'features' don't mean squat if it means your phone/computer/tablet is crashing or freezing every other time you want to use it.

Reliability is ONE feature. I'm looking for more, and quite happy about Apple.
None of my devices crash or freeze constantly.
I can accept some bugs, being a software engineer. I know bug free software doesn't exist

 

[robeddie]

The releases just came out randomly prior to Cook, right? They just often happened to somehow magically coincide with product launches and the like. And people haven't been complaining about this or that before Cook and only just now.

They may have been announced at x or y event... but not released that same day. Often software was announced but then said it would be released 'in late June' or some such thing.

Additionally, two MAJOR things have become the norm in recent years, which are suspect culprits to quality: Regular annual releases of mac osx ... and that coinciding with the release of the latest iOS. This is FORCING software engineers to release on a set timetable, regardless of whether it's ready. And yes, I can assure you, the software releases did not have to conform to this kind of timetable when Steve Jobs was still alive.
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Reliability is ONE feature. I'm looking for more, and quite happy about Apple.
None of my devices crash or freeze constantly.
I can accept some bugs, being a software engineer. I know bug free software doesn't exist

You must be a former Microsoft user. In the past, Apple had the philosophy - 'Ship when it's ready'. That's why a lot of us (and I go back to 1985 with my first mac 128) always loved Apple: When they came out with stuff, it was almost always kickass. Up through Snow Leopard at least, that seemed to still be their goal. Make it work first, then see about adding features. In the last 7 years, increasingly, reliability seems to have taken a back seat to new features. That's opposite of what I'd seen from Apple in my first quarter century as a Mac addict.

 

[C DM]

They may have been announced at x or y event... but not released that same day. Often software was announced but then said it would be released 'in late June' or some such thing.

Additionally, two MAJOR things have become the norm in recent years, which are suspect culprits to quality: Regular annual releases of mac osx ... and that coinciding with the release of the latest iOS. This is FORCING software engineers to release on a set timetable, regardless of whether it's ready. And yes, I can assure you, the software releases did not have to conform to this kind of timetable when Steve Jobs was still alive.
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You must be a former Microsoft user. In the past, Apple had the philosophy'Ship when it's ready'. That's why a lot of us (and I go back to 1985 with my first mac 128) have always loved Apple.

Seems like that type of release pattern was well established from early iPhone days with Steve Jobs. Releases don't seem to be any more or less stuck into some timetables these days than they were before.

 

[AppleScruff1]

All bickering aside, I haven't updated any devices yet nor do I for a couple of weeks after each release. IMO, it can save a lot of aggrevation.

 

[robeddie]

Seems like that type of release pattern was well established from early iPhone days with Steve Jobs. Releases don't seem to be any more or less stuck into some timetables these days than they were before.

Either way, the richest company in the world, building a friggin' spaceship for a campus ... a history of 'it just works' .. bottom line - they should have the capability, and the committment, more than ever - to make sure everything they release is almost perfect.
Instead, it seems the opposite is happening: Things are getting more slack, more sloppy.

Nowadays, they'd rather hit a deadline, than get it right.

 

[C DM]

All bickering aside, I haven't updated any devices yet nor do I for a couple of weeks after each release. IMO, it can save a lot of aggrevation.

Generally good advice for most. In this particular case might not make a difference as older iOS 9 versions are affected as well.

 

[Thunderhawks]

OK, so far:

1. Apple sucks.
2. Apple software sucks.
3. iOS sucks.
4. The headline sucks.
5. iPhone sucks.
6. The accompanying chart sucks (no Y axis).
7. iOS Control Center sucks.
8. ???

8.Shoot Tim Cook, kill Phil, get rid of Jony, just close down the company asap!
Nobody needs their crapware.
Android FTW

 

[C DM]

Either way, the richest company in the world, building a friggin' spaceship for a campus ... a history of 'it just works' .. bottom line - they should have the capability, and the committment, more than ever - to make sure everything they release is almost perfect.
Instead, we seem to being the opposite happening: Things are getting more slack, more sloppy.

Nowadays, they'd rather hit a deadline, than get it right.

They can and they should, as most should. That said, there will still be some inevitable issues nonetheless.

 

[Swift]

According to Gruber:

"The bug was triggered by third-party apps misusing the Universal Links feature in iOS 9 — it’s a coincidence that it seemingly affected many people only after they updated to iOS 9.3." And he points to a workaround.

https://bencollier.net/2016/03/how-to-fix-ios-9-3s-broken-safari-links/ The example Collier uses is booking.com. I'm experiencing something like this with the new season of MLB, which seems to rely more on the web than the last one.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Generally good advice for most. In this particular case might not make a difference as older iOS 9 versions are affected as well.

Every time there is an update, within a short period of time there is an article here about a bug, problem, etc. It happens. I understand that for many Apple is held to a higher standard than Microsoft, Google, etc. but the reality is, Apple isn't perfect regardless of what some think.

 

[robeddie]

They can and they should, as most should. That said, there will still be some inevitable issues nonetheless.

Yep. Always. But I think, and many agree (Marco Arment, John Siracusa being among those way smarter than me who think so) that Apple's quality has suffered quite a bit in recent years.

 

[sodaftl]

Bring Steve Jobs back...!

 

[69650]

Their quality continues to decrease. Apple is on the verge of becoming Microsoft; too big to do everything right.

Let's be honest, Apples' quality control had been woeful for many years. They don't give a damn about their customers because they know we will keep buying no matter how bad things get.

 

[KY doc]

I'm curious to understand what was changed from the last beta to the final release to have caused this issue. I think Apple has relied too much on its outside beta testing program and has not done enough thorough internal alpha and beta tests. Who is finalising the design of Apple products-- Apple or random users in the public beta program? With Apple's resources, a whole department of testers using all combinations of devices against a combination of apps should be testing iOS to perfection. Only then release to public testers. Why the nonsense with so many multiple seeds? Ridiculous. iOS is a complex system software, so it requires fine grained internal testing to perfection first.

 

[Phoenixx]

Personally, I'm going to reactivate an approach I used to have to run one version behind the latest OS. I used to do this with OS X, and always had a mature OS on the computer. Given Apple's ongoing incompetence in releasing reliable software, I think it is time to start doing this again both with OS X and with iOS.

 

[sudo1996]

This doesn't really have anything to do with iOS 9.3.

No, the article says that 9.3 brought new bugs.

The web linking bug is the second major bug to affect iOS 9.3 users. The first rendered some older devices unusable due to a problem with Activation Lock, which required customers to enter the information originally used to set up their iPhone or iPad.

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When are you "sure" it works?

Can't be really sure of course, but after millions of people have been using it for a month without problems, I consider it safe.

 

[Phoenixx]

Let's be honest, Apples' quality control had been woeful for many years. They don't give a damn about their customers because they know we will keep buying no matter how bad things get.

Not all of us will keep buying. Some of us have no loyalty to Apple at all, and only buy their products because at the moment they are the most useful for getting the job done. For me the big reasons to buy Apple products are reliability of software and hardware; and their eco-system. At the moment, with reliability continuing to suffer on a hardware and software front, it's only the more established eco-system that keeps me using Apple products.

I'm only too well aware that at some point in the future, Microsoft (or another company), will get a good eco-system in place and when they do there will be no compelling reason to buy Apple products anymore (and pay premium price for a no longer premium product).

 

[C DM]

No, the article says that 9.3 brought new bugs.
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Can't be really sure of course, but after millions of people have been using it for a month without problems, I consider it safe.

The article might say something, but people experiencing the same issues with iOS 9.2.1 or 9.2 would show otherwise.

 

[KY doc]

So for all apple fans there who think this s not a big deal , I m a big apple fan and hope this ll not change, but this s definitely unacceptable.and yes mistakes can happen and we are humans but even the errors were discovered it should ve been handled much more efficiently. Eg Apple should ve warned all the users once discovered and pulled all the update so the problem will not spread further. What did Apple do in stead ? It took them a week at least to admit there's a problem and they released the defective iOS 9.3 for iPad pro just 2 days ago !!!. It's like they wanted to make sure all the other devices are affected. Come on now. They definitely don't make any mistakes charging me 30$ for mailing my iPhone replacement when Apple recalled the camera hard wares last year . This problem is like what Apple released that disaster map apps first and then took them about 2 months to admit and advise people to use google maps until then. Get your self together Apple!!